Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Comparing Website Presentations Of "Nature" Across Vermont Ski Areas And Adjacent Rural Communities, Margaux Anna-Elizabeth Reckard

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Ski areas attract and cater to tourists and are often powerful symbols of cultural identity and place-based meaning. Within contexts of mountain tourism development, ski areas also communicate messages to orient visitors and residents to special features and qualities of the natural environment. This research specifically focuses on how Vermont ski areas and their neighboring rural communities use language, symbolism and imagery, within the context of website communications, to shape cultural meanings of nature and place.

A sample of small, medium, and large ski areas, representing a range of development sizes, locations, and recreational offerings, were paired with their adjacent …